The Galician Language

Chances are, when you hear the words “romance language,” the first thought that comes to mind isn’t the Galician language. While Spanish, French, and Italian remain the most popular and easily recognized of the romance languages, there are an estimated four million people who speak Galician in the world today.

The Galician language originated in Galicia, a society located in the northwestern region of Spain. Portugal borders Galicia to the South, so it’s not difficult to understand why the Portuguese language is so similar to Galician. Many linguists believe modern Galician and modern Portuguese are of the same dialect, but this is debatable and the official status is that the Galician language is its own unique language, separate from Portuguese. This is because when you examine the language, Galician uses Spanish spelling conventions versus Portuguese ones. It is believe that in Medieval times, a single language existed for both the Portuguese and Galicians. Linguists call this language Galician-Portuguese.

Each year, around a thousand books are published in the Galician language. The language has a long history and is thriving and gaining more popularity among those who want to learn a romance language. Before making the commitment to study a foreign language, it’s advisable to look into the history of the language. Many internet Web sites are focused on the Galician language. One of these, Britannica-Galician Language offers a lot of information on the Galician language.

Another helpful website Celtic Galiza gives information on the history of the Galician language, all the way up to the 1980s.